The Hindu : Front Page : Heat wave sweeps North; toll 53

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Sunday, Jun 10, 2007
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Heat wave sweeps North; toll 53

It's a record 48.9 degrees in Sriganganagar, 47.9 in Hisar, and 44.9 in Delhi

GRIN AND BEAR IT: The mid-day scene in Delhi on Saturday, the season's hottest day so far at 44.9 degrees C. - PHOTO: S. SUBRAMANIUM

NEW DELHI: The entire North India was left baking on Saturday with the mercury shooting up to record levels at many places and the sledgehammer heat wave claiming 18 more lives, pushing the death count so far this summer to 53.

Sriganganagar in Rajasthan blazed at 48.9 degrees Celsius as the mercury topped 47 degrees at Hisar in Haryana and Amritsar in Punjab.

Hisar sizzled at 47.9 degrees, seven notches above normal, and Amritsar at 47.8, up by eight degrees, as the heat wave seared through the region crippling normal life, with frequent power breakdowns adding to the woes of residents.

15 killed in UP

Fifteen fresh fatalities occurred in Uttar Pradesh, two in Punjab and one in Haryana as the death toll since the onset of tormenting heat wave swelled to 53 in North and Central India.

UP accounted for 40 deaths, Punjab seven, Rajasthan four and Haryana and Madhya Pradesh one each.

Delhi, which experienced the coolest and wettest May in recent memory, reeled under oppressive heat on Saturday as the mid-day temperature shot up to 44.9 degrees, the season's highest so far. The previous highest of 44.1 degrees was recorded on June 2.

The weatherman promised no relief for Delhi, predicting a dreadful 46 degrees in the next couple of days.

In Rajasthan, the mercury hovered five to six degrees above normal at many places crippling life as people confined themselves indoors.

Sriganganagar boiled at 48.9 degrees while Churu reeled at 47.2, Bikaner 45.6, Jaipur 44.9 and Jaisalmer 44.8.

The heat wave also pounded Punjab and Haryana where the mercury zoomed to record levels with Hisar and Amritsar bearing the brunt. People scurried for shade in Chandigarh where the day temperature touched 45 degrees, the highest in over a decade.

Ludhiana sizzled at 46.6 degrees, Patiala at 45.7, Ambala 44.5 and Karnal 45.

Severe heat wave conditions prevailed also in UP with the mercury shooting up to 44 degrees at several places. Agitated over frequent power cuts, residents staged sit-ins at Amethi and other places, especially in rural areas.

In Himachal Pradesh, Shimla experienced the hottest day in over a decade with the day temperature touching 31.3 degrees.

Tourists thronging the picturesque hill station to enjoy its cooler clime were in for a shock as the mercury rose sharply. The Mall and other tourist attractions wore a deserted look.

Another hill State, Uttarakhand, was in the grip of the heat wave as well with the mercury three to four degrees above normal at many places.

Delhi Staff Reporter adds:

Though most offices in the Capital were closed on account of it being the second Saturday of the month, not all Delhiites could afford to stay indoors. Many of those who were forced to step out of home carried umbrellas and sported caps to beat the heat.

Even air-conditioners and coolers seemed ineffective. Those travelling by two-wheelers were the worst hit owing to direct exposure to the sun.

If Saturday at 44.9 degrees was the hottest day of the season so far, the highest temperature recorded in June last year was 43.6 degrees.

However, the Meteorological Department said it was a normal phenomenon at this time of the year.

"The westerly and north-westerly winds coming from Rajasthan are hot resulting in a rise in temperature," said the weatherman, adding that the maximum temperature the Capital had experienced was 46.7 degrees recorded way back in 1945.

According to the BBC Weather 5 Day forecast website, the mercury is likely to hover around 44 degrees on Sunday. It has forecast a "predominantly sunny" Sunday as well as Monday. The good news is that there could be light showers on Tuesday.

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